> IOW, relativism does not allow us to distinguish among truth claims, > i.e. to sort out the true, from false, from more or less probable - > since every viewpoint is dependent on time, place, culture and the > specific individual's position." If we can't make valid judgments > among truth claims, then inevitably, "everything goes."
That's elementary bad reasoning. If each truth is relative to place time culture and knower, then for each knower at a particular time-place-culture, only *some* things (and maybe none) are true. Since no person can have the capacity for absolute truth, and be living in every time-place-culture, there is no person for whom "everything goes." However, what the Bahai faith teaches is not that every truth is relative, but that all religious truth is relative, not absolute. This itself is true in relation to the framework of Bahai belief: it may or may not transpose into other frameworks. As a more modest claim, the philosophical critique of relativism (which is weak in itself) does not touch it. When Shoghi Effendi refers to "the fundamental principle that religious truth is not absolute but relative, that Divine Revelation is progressive, not final" he is laying down a doctrine, not engaging in a philosophical debate. To put this in the same box as philosophical relativism -- or a caricature of it -- and then shoot it down with philosophy simply misses the point, even if the argument against philosophical relativism was philosophically sound. The truths we can communicate and apprehend are relative to particular fields and contexts. "God, my Creator" is not a true statement in biology, nor a meaningful statement in philosophy (to what, precisely, does the word "God" refer?), but it is a meaningful religious statement, and in the western religious traditions and many others it is a "true" statement. Relatively true, in my opinion Sen ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -- -- -- -- The influence of individual souls is and always will be beloved. For the influence of each soul is its fruit, and a soul without influence is considered a tree without fruit in the most great realm. Speak forth for the sake of God, and spread the cause for his sake. Do not look at whether others accept or deny, but rather at the service you are commanded to perform by God. Baha'u'llah -- Tablet of the Son -- http://www- personal.umich.edu/~jrcole/bahai/2001/bhson.htm The information contained in this e-mail and any attachments thereto ("e-mail") is sent by the Johnson County Community College ("JCCC") and is intended to be confidential and for the use of only the individual or entity named above. The information may be protected by federal and state privacy and disclosures acts or other legal rules. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, you are notified that retention, dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail is strictly prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error please immediately notify JCCC by email reply and immediately and permanently delete this e-mail message and any attachments thereto. Thank you. __________________________________________________ You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe: send subscribe bahai-st in the message body to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe: http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/all_forums/subscribe?name=bahai-st Baha'i Studies is available through the following: Mail - mailto:[email protected] Web - http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/?forum=bahai-st News - news://list.jccc.edu/bahai-st Public - http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist Old Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] New Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]
